nona

¹

[ noh-nuh ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. sleeping sickness ( def 2 ).

nona-

²

1. a combining form meaning “nine, ninth,” used in the formation of compound words:

   nonagon.

nona-

combining_form

1. nine

   nonagon

Word History and Origins

Origin of nona¹

< Latin nōna ( hōra ) ninth (hour); i.e., late stage in life of patient

Word History and Origins

Origin of nona¹

from Latin nōnus

Example Sentences

"One really good example is Nona Gracie on TikTok," said Price.

From Salon

Recent DNA discoveries also led to Alexander being charged in 2022 in the killing of 29-year-old Nona Cobb in North Carolina in 1992.

From Los Angeles Times

Lake Nona in Florida was chosen as the venue and both sides had nine months to select eight-women teams.

From BBC

The 29-year-old victim, Nona Cobb, had been similarly strangled and dumped along Interstate 77.

From Los Angeles Times

“Because of Nona Cobb’s alleged murder, we — the Sheriff’s Department, the district attorney’s office, the Oxnard and Port Hueneme police — are working with the FBI, specifically their Violent Criminal Apprehension Program and the Highway Serial Killings initiative to draw parallels, to see when patterns emerge and to hopefully solve additional crimes,” Nasarenko said.

From Los Angeles Times

Words That Use Nona-

What does nona- mean?

Nona- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “nine” or “ninth.” It is used in a number of scientific and other technical terms.

In chemistry, nona– is specifically used to indicate nine atoms or nine groups of atoms in compounds, e.g., nonapeptide.

Nona- comes from the Latin nōnus, meaning “ninth.” The word noon also derives from the Latin nōna hōra, the “ninth hour” from sunrise. That means 12 o’clock noon was originally 3 p.m!

The Greek word for “nine” is ennéa, source of the combining form ennea-, which you can learn more about in our Words That Use article for the form.

What are variants of nona-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, nona- becomes non-, as in nonyl alcohol.

However, in a great many more instances, the letters non- at the beginning of a word are the prefix non-, meaning “not,” as in nonabrasive or nonacademic.

Examples of nona-

A nonagon is a polygon having nine angles and nine sides. A nonagon is also known as an enneagon.

The first part of the word, nona-, means “nine.” The -gon portion of the word may also look familiar: it is a combining form meaning “angled” or “angular,” from the Greek gōnía. Nonagon literally translates to “nine-angled.”

What are some words that use the combining form nona- or non-?

• nonagenarian (using the equivalent form of nona- in Latin)
• nonane
• nonapeptide
• nonary (using the equivalent form of nona- in Latin)
• nonic
• nonillion (using the equivalent form of non- in French)

What are some other forms that nona- may be commonly confused with?

• nano-
• nomo-
• non- (in the sense of “not”)
• normo-

Break it down!

A septuagenarian is a person in their 70s (between 70–80 years old). An octogenarian is in their 80s. A nonagenarian, then, is in their ___?